Florida Coast to Coast Tour

The other day I was having an exceptionally good commute home from work and started day dreaming about what would happen if I just kept riding. Well, I didn't keep riding but I did get another idea. I thought, "I wonder if I could ride from a Gulf Coast beach to an Atlantic Beach". I practically obsessed over it for a few hours wondering what it would be like, what would go wrong, what route would I take, how long would it take...

That night I mentioned the ride to Theresa and she thought it sounded really exciting. So, We're going to start planning this Florida coast to coast tour. Initially I looked up the straightest route from the gulf coast to the Atlantic coast which would have taken us along the same road for over 90% of the trip. Fortunately my man Karlos, the Naked Indian, is very good at planning routes like these and he's offered to work up a route for us. The only stipulation was that the entire route had to be on pavement. Why all pavement? Theresa will be on a full on road bike, not like my cyclocross bike, and I don't think she'd be too happy riding through sugar sand.

Stay tuned for more details...

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Rad Rides From SingleTrack Samurai Productions

For those of you who enjoy self supported endurance cycling and adventure type events you should check out SingleTrack Samurai Productions! All the events thus far have been completely free! My man, Karlos, aka The Naked Indian, comes up with some pretty rad events from quick local tours to epic cross state time trials. Did I mention they're totally free? He does all the planning and organizing himself, and with the help of some local endurance junkies, pre-rides each and every course to ensure they meet his crazy criteria.Oh yeah, and they're free.

The next event for SingleTrack Samurai Productions is the Cross Florida Individual Time Trials, or C.F.I.T.T. for short. It will be held on Saturday October 10th, 2009. Unfortunately this 170-ish mile trek across the state of Florida is already booked. Don't be scared though, I'm sure he's already cooking up something even bigger!

Most of the info regarding these epic journeys can be found on Karlos' Blog, The Naked Indian Chronicles, but the C.F.I.T.T. was big enough to warrant it's own blog. All the info regarding this epic cross state adventure, including the course maps and gpx files, can be found at http://crossfloridaindividualtimetrial.blogspot.com/

Maybe a SingleTrack Samurai Productions website is on the horizon? We'll see if I can talk Karlos into it. For now you'll have to settle for updates via The Naked Indian Chronicles blog or via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SingleTrack-Samurai-Productions/127304854530

Although these events are free to compete in, they are time consuming and cost money to develop. Please help keep SingleTrack Samurai Productions events alive and donate a few bucks to the cause by vising the C.F.I.T.T. blog and clicking on the "DONATE" button.

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Running With The Florida Summer Heat

Anyone who’s ever tried running in the Florida summer heat knows just how brutal it can be. Theresa and I discovered this first hand last Sunday morning during an 8 mile training run. The run started at Holmes Beach, and was to take us along Manatee Ave to Robinson Preserve, through the preserve, then home. We parked the truck and spent a few minutes stretching and making fun of a few beach bums before we hit the pavement.

The run started well but it didn’t take long for us to realize that the heat was a bit more intense than usual. We got to the Manatee Ave Bridge and I remember looking out over the water and seeing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge thinking “If the sky is this clear the Sun is gong to be brutal”. Our pace was much slower than usual, partially due to a lower leg pain that Theresa was feeling, but mostly due to the heat. Around mile 5 Theresa decided that she didn’t want to take any chances with her leg and that she was going to walk the remaining 3 miles home. Feeling pretty good I decided that I was going to add 2 miles to my run and head back towards the truck. The one thing that I didn’t consider is the lack of shade on that portion of the route. I was still feeling pretty good and I still had 2 full bottles of water with me so I took off.

At mile 6 I started noticing a tightness in my chest, difficulty breathing, and a light head ache. I didn’t think much of it and kept running.  At mile 7 the head ache was fairly intense and my pulse had started racing - more than it should have considering my pace. I figured a short walk break and some water would take care of the problem. After about 1/2 mile of walking I didn’t feel any different. I couldn’t seem to cool down and my pulse was still racing. A that point I decided to finish the remaining 3 miles with an easy walk. Unfortunately I was out in the Sun for the entire walk. I’d see cyclists, both serious roadies and casual beach goers, and wished I had my Superfly. I’d take off and let the wind cool me down, but I didn’t have it and I doubt anyone would let me use their beach cruiser. I kept on walking. Once I got back to the Manatee Ave Bridge I was relieved to feel a slight breeze. Not enough to cool my body down, but enough to make it a little more comfortable.  I didn’t get really cooled down until I reached the truck. I blasted the A/C and headed home.

I need to figure out how to get these training runs in during the summer months without succumbing to a heat stroke. It would be very easy to say “forget it, I’m not running when it’s this hot” as some people do, but that isn’t going to provide enough training for the Goofy. The only thing I can think of is to get up and get the runs over with before the Sun comes up. That means getting out of bed and out the door by 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. depending on the distance and sun rise. That’s very early for a weekend. Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, or ideas? If so please post up.

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Post Peach Tree Road Race Update

The 6.2 mile jaunt that is the Peach Tree Road Race proved to be much easier for both Theresa and I than we expected. We weren’t sure how things were going to end up considering the run/walk routine we’ve been using for training. We started the race with the intentions of running as far as we could without the walk breaks, but were pleasantly surprised when the only one needed was at “Cardiac Hill”. “Cardiac Hill” isn’t much of a hill by most standards, but it sure is for us flat landers here in Florida. We made it about half way up the hill before needing a short brake. After getting back up to speed the rest of the run was smooth sailing. We finished it in 1:30:45, which isn’t the fastest, but hey, we’re training for a Marathon not a 100 meter sprint.

With the Peach Tree out of the way the rest of the week was open for activities. Most of our days were spend hiking in and around the state parks near Helen, Ga but I did manage to get a short 12 mile ride in with Theresa’s step father, Ron. The plan was to ride on a few miles up a forest service road and back. It didn’t get off to a good start though. A few yards from the cabin my chain jumped off the large cog and ended up between the cog and the spokes. Luckily I wasn’t moving very fast so there wasn’t any damage. I quickly pulled the chain back up on the large cog and took off. A few miles down the road the chain jumped ship again, but this time it really lodged itself between the spokes and the cog. It took me about 15 – 20 min to work it free. Everything seemed to be in working order so I made a slight adjustment to the low limit adjust screw on my rear derailleur and took off again. I didn’t have any more problems after that. The rest of the ride was great. I could definitely tell that I’m loosing my base when it comes to mountain biking though. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s completely gone by now as I haven’t ridden since.


The plan for now is to concentrate on my marathon training. The hardest part is consistency. We have a tendency to want to skip a lot of runs which really hurts us in the end. I know that if we’re gong to make it through these Disney runs we’re going to have to get into a routine.

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Pre Peach Tree Road Race Update

The 6.2 mi Peachtree Road Race is just around the corner, but am I ready? I've been following my Marathon training program, I've added weights, and I'm still riding once a week. I'd say I'm better off now than I was before I attempted my first marathon. Unfortunately, that's not saying much considering the little amount of training I did for that marathon.

I started my marathon training program about 2 months ago with a 3 mile run / walk routine. Although my mileage is still low and I'm still on the run / walk routine my legs are much stronger and more importantly they're injury free. I attribute this lack of injury to my slow introduction to running. It's giving my body time to get used to the constant pounding it'll be taking from the concrete and blacktop. It's also allowing me to more easily adapt to the ridiculous heat index we've been experiencing here in Florida this year.

A few weeks ago I joined the YMCA so I could start lifting weights. I've only been able to go a couple times so far but I'll be hittin em hard after the Peach Tree Road Race. This should also help keep the injuries at bay once I get into the 10+ mile training runs. One small injury and I could very well be sitting out one or both of the Goofy runs come January.

Riding is my passion, but I'm sure you already knew that. I would ride every day if I could, but I can't. I live too far away from the good trail systems to get a daily dose in so we have to make time on the weekend. This once a week ride comes at the expense of a training run. I'm supposed to get a run in both Saturday and Sunday - especially important for someone planning on running the Goofy. I've been riding about 15 or so miles each ride with the exception of a 32 mile ride on the Santos Epic Trails last weekend. My wife, Theresa, had been off the bike for about a year due to some back issues, but she's been joining me on the weekend rides and doing very well. She's even agreed to try a 50 miler with me next year! AWESOME!

I'll post up with a Post Peach Tree Update in a week or so.

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